1 d)
Matilda was a very unusual child. Her mind was powerful and she was very quick
to learn. Unfortunately, her parents, Mr and Mrs Wornwood were so busy with
their own lives that they hardly noticed anything unusual about their daughter.
2 a)
Matilda's brother Michael was a perfectly normal boy, but the sister, as I
said, was a real prodigy. By the age of one and a half her speech was perfect
and she knew as many words as many grown-ups. But the parents called her a
noisy child and told her to be quiet.
3 e) By the
time she was three, Matilda had taught herself to read by studying newspapers
and magazines that lay around the house.
4 c) At the
age of four, she could read fast and well and she naturally needed some books.
The only book in the house was something called "Easy Cooking"
belonging to her mother, and when she had read this from cover to cover, and
had practically learned it by heart, she decided she wanted something more
interesting.
5 b)"Daddy,"
she said," do you think you could buy me a book?"
<span> "A book?" he said."What do you
want a book for?"</span>
<span> "To read, daddy."</span>
<span> "What's wrong with the telly? We've got a
lovely telly with a twelve-inch screen and now you come asking for a
book!"</span>